Car retarder for railroads



June 15, 1937.

FIG.1.

N. c. L. BROWN 2,083,544

CAR RETARDER FOR RAILROADS Filed Feb. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 72.6% Mid/Qua ATTORNEY June 15, 1937. N, C, L, BROWN 7 2,083,544

CAR RETARD ER FOR RAILROADS Filed Feb. 15, 1934 2 Sheats-Sheet2 1e F g 26 18 1'7 18 17 00001111110110 I 7/ I 27 T 27' X hwom Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED STATES CAR RETARDER FOR RAILROADS Ned C. L. Brown, Scottsville, N. Y., assignor to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester,

Application February 15, 1934, Serial No. 711,393

9 Claims.

This invention relates in general to car retarders of the track brake type as used in railway practice, and has more particular reference to improved means, free of pin type bearings, for

adjusting the degree of retardation which it is desired the retarder should exert.

The retarder of this invention is of the general form shown and described in the Howe Patent 1,852,572 granted April 5, 1932.

In car retarders it is desirable to be able to at will adjust the degree of retardation which the retarder should exert, and the present invention provides a ready, simple and economical means for doing this. The system in accordance with the present invention also provides various advantages over existing car retarders, in that usual pin type bearings have been replaced by rocker, or knife edge, type, bearings, whereby to eliminate much of the usual bearing wear, and facilitate adjustment and replacement necessitated by wear.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a system wherein the same degree of retardation is exerted on each of the two wheels on a single axle, even though one of the wheels be of a different thickness from the other. More specifically, means is provided whereby the usual excess retardation on the thicker wheel is transferred to the thinner wheel through .a floating lever system which is employed for varying the degree of retardation to be exerted.

A further object is to eliminate all pin or trunnion type bearings, and employ only rocker or knife edge bearings.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved means for adjusting the lever system for varying the degree of retardation whereby to care for wear of various of the parts. More smcifically, means is provided for a general adjustment to care for the wear throughout the system, and further means is provided for a specific adjustment for anyone of a plurality of parts which may individually wear to a greater or lesser extent.

A further object is to provide elastic means for biasing the various relatively movable parts into contact with each other to thereby prevent shock and noise and lost motion of such parts.

Further objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will appear as the description progresses, reference being made to the accompanying drawings showing, solely byway of example, and in no manner whatsoever in a limiting sense, one form which the in- 'vention can assume. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of a retarder in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View, on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a stretch of single track constituted by two track rails I, carried on ties 2. At each side of each track rail, (the arrangement with regard to each track rail being symmetrical and identical, the description for one track rail and associated part applies equally well to the other), is a brake shoe BS, carried by-a brake beam BB, which, as shown best in Fig. 1, can be articulated as at 3.

In openings in the brake beams, are rocker arms RA, having their lower ends tied together by a rod 4, having a head 5, and adjusting nuts 6, for varying the distance between the lower ends of the two rocker arms associated with each track rail. Carried on the member 4 is a spring I, normally in an extended condition, positioned between followers 8 which bear against the lower ends of the rocker arms whereby the spring I opposes a car wheel, for example, from spreading the brake shoes apart.

Each outer rocker arm has a socket or bearing for receiving a ball hearing or knife edge member 9, bolted or otherwise fastened to a fixed lever bearing ID, in the form of an angle iron fastened along the outer ends of the ties 2, whereby to form a fixed pivot for the outer rocker arms.

Each inner rocker arm, has a movable ball or knife edge bearing member ll, rigidly fastened by bolts or the like to an inner floating bar FL, whereby any movement of the floating bar FL toward its track rail operates to move the upper ends of the rocker arms closer together to thereby decrease the distance between the brake shoes of each pair and so increase the compression of spring 1 resulting from a car wheel passing through, and thus increase the degree of-retardation experienced by the wheel passing between the two opposed brake shoes.

In order to center the two brake shoes for each track rail, an abutment 36 is provided, and shown as carried by the inner movable ball bear: ing member, against which the head 5 of the rod 4 abuts when the shoe system is symmetrically positioned on the opposite sides of its track rail.

In order to take up play and lost motion between the followers 8 and the lower ends of the rocker arms, between the upper ends of the rocker arms and the brake beams, and between the rocker arms and the fixed and movable ball or knife edge bearing members, elastic means is provided. This means can take the form of springs S which are anchored, in the particular form shown, at their centers to support members l2 fastened to the floating bars FL, and the fixed levers ID, with the two ends of the leaf springs S bearing against studs or the like 53 on the brake beams in a manner to urge the brake beams in a direction away from the associated track rails. In this manner all of the joints just referred to are maintained without lost motion or play and much unnecessary wear and noise is thus avoided.

For example, considering Fig. l, and considering the left hand track rail, and first the left hand spring S, this spring urges the left brake beam outwardly to press it against the inner face of the upper end of the rocker arm, which in turn presses this rocker arm against its ball bearing member 9, and also presses the lower inner receiving socket of the same rocker arm against its follower 8. This bias follows through the rod 4 to press the right hand follower 8 against the receiving socket at the lower end of the right hand rocker arm for this same left hand track rail and thus press the head against abutment 36 The right hand leaf spring S, weaker than the left hand spring, operates to force the beam against the head of the rocker arm and the rocker arm against its ball bearing member ll.

Since the left hand spring S is the stronger, the system is initially positioned symmetrically about the track rail, with head 5 against abutment 36 so that a passing car wheel can force its way between the opposed brake shoes.

Thus the bias really carried back to the operating mechanism.

Coming now to the center bar for operating the floating bars, one for each track rail, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, there is shown an operating bar OB, which is formed of two separate longitudinal bar members M and 15, these bar members being placed face to face, as shown, and at intervals having component parts of triangular openings l6, as best shown in Fig. 4, whereby to receive triangular shaped wedges H. The wedges H are carried on pins or the like l8, passing therethrough, and supported in top and bottom plates 19 and 20 respectively, whereby the plates I9 and 20 and the wedges i! move together. At one end, the plates l9 and 20 are connected together, either integrally or otherwise, by an end strap 2!, which is threaded to receive an adjusting screw 22, having its inner end bearing an operating head 23 which bears against a follower plate 24 placed across the ends of the members M and I 5.

With this construction, turning of the adjusting screw 22 by means of its head 25, can move the plates l9 and 23 and thereby the wedges l'l, relatively to the members 14 and I5, constituting the operating bar, whereby to cause the wedges to spread these two members l4 and I5 apart or allow them to come closer together, depending on the direction of travel of the member 22, to thereby care primarily for the shoe wear and also, of course for wear of the various parts involved in the means for adjusting for different degrees of retardation.

Positioned along the outer faces of the members M and E5 are receiving sockets 26 in which are received operating members 21, the other ends of each such operating member being received in a corresponding socket 28 in the inner ball bearing members.

As best shown in the detailed showing of Fig. 5, these arms 21 are made in two parts 2'! and 2'5 connected together by a turn buckle screw, or the like 38, whereby turning of the screw 38 can move the two parts 21 and 21 either toward or away from each other, for the purpose of adjusting these individual members for caring for collective wear in the various parts, except the shoes.

The floating bars FL are slidably received in openings 29 in fixed abutments or the like 30 and carry rollers or the like 3i, carried on pins 32, with the rollers bearing against the outer face of the respective abutment 30, whereby to receive end thrust and prevent endwise movement of the floating bars. As shown in Fig. 1, this end thrust bearing is provided at each end of each floating bar, although it is strictly necessary only at the one end which is adjacent the adjusting screw 22, as will appear in the description that follows.

The operating bar OB, can be moved longitudinally in any usual or desired manner, in order to vary the degree of retardation which the retarder is to exert. Merely by way of example, a means is shown comprising a shaft 33, operated as by a motor or the like, not shown, with a pinion 3G meshing with a rack on each of the two members comprising the operating bar, whereby to move the operating bar and the associated parts, including the wedges l1, plates l9 and 20, etc., as a unit.

The motor or other means for moving the shaft 33 can be controlled in any desired manner, it merely being necessary, as far as concerns this invention, that the shaft 33 be moved to the desired position and then retained in such position. The control can, if desired, be such as shown in the Howe Patent 1,852,572, referred to above.

The operating bar OB is shown as being supported by, and slidable on, fixed abutments or the like 36, carried by ties, or in any other suitable manner.

The operation of the retarder system as described above should now be readily understood. If it be desired to increase the degree of retardation, operating bar OB is operated to move downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, whereby to cause the arms 2! to exert a downward and outward thrust on the floating bar FL. These floating bars, being restrained against endwise movement by the end thrust bearings, moved laterally on their rollers 3 i toward the respective track rails, whereby to move the inner movable ball bearing mem bers toward the track rails. so as to decrease the space between shoes and thus increase the compression of the springs 1 when a wheel passes through to thus increase the resistance to the passage of a car wheel through the retarder, that is, to increase the degree of retardation to be exerted.

Operation of the bar OB in the reverse direction, of course, operates to decrease the degree of retardation exerted on a passing car.

In the event that the two wheels on a car axle be of different thicknesses, it is clear that the tendency is for the retardation exerted on the thicker wheel to exceed that exerted on the thinner wheel, in as much as the thicker wheel, in passing through the opposed shoes, must compress the spring I to a greater extent than does the thinner wheel. With the present system, however, with the operating bar intermediately positioned with respect to the two track rails, and capable of movement between the rails and at right angles thereto, any excess retardation on a thicker wheel is transferred through its floating bar and the operating bar and the other floating bar to the other car wheel. In this manner different thicknesses of car wheels do not result in different degrees of retardation and hence the tendency for one wheel to wear excessively, or to be forced out of the retarder shoe jaws, is eliminated.

Furthermore, if the two springs 1, corresponding to the two track rails, have different characteristics so that given positioning of the shoe beams tend to result in a greater degree of retardation due to one spring than due to the other spring, this difference of retardation will be equalized by passing from one set of shoes,through the operating bar, to the other set of shoes, in the manner just described, whereby the retardation on the Wheels on the two opposite track rails constituting a stretch of single track, will in all cases be equalized with the resulting equalization of wear on the wheels, and decreased tendency for derailment.

The above rather specific description of one form of device embodying the present invention, has been given solely by way of illustration, and is not intended, in any manner whatsoever, in a limiting sense. Obviously, this invention can assume many difierent physical forms, and is susceptible of numerous modifications, and all such forms and modifications, are intended to be included by this invention, as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I new claim:

1. In a car retarder of the track brake type, brake shoes adjacent the two sides of each of the two rails constituting a stretch of single track, and a single continuous adjusting means, positioned between the track rails, for adjusting the initial position of the shoes relative to the rails to vary the degree of retardation, the adjusting means being at all times freely slidably movable transversely of the rails whereby to transmit braking stresses from one rail to the other and to equalize the braking forces on the two wheels on an axle regardless of the wheel thicknesses.

2. In a car retarder of the track brake type, in combination, a brake shoe adjacent each rail of two rails constituting a stretch of single track, and means for adjusting the position of the shoes relative to their rails, and including; an operating bar positioned between the rails and movable parallel to the rails, a floating bar for each rail and connected to a respective brake shoe, operating arms connecting the floating bars and the operating bar, the operating bar and arms constituting a toggle anchored at the floating bars, whereby movement of the operating bar varies the position of the toggle and exerts a force on the floating bars, and means for laterally expanding and contracting the operating bar, whereby to adjust for Wear of parts.

3. In a car retarder of the track brake type, in combination, a brake shoe adjacent each rail of two rails constituting a stretch of single track, and means for adjusting the position of the shoes relative to their rails, and including; an operating bar positioned between the rails and movable parallel to the rails, a floating bar for each rail and connected to a respective brake shoe, operating arms connecting the floating bars and the operating bar, the operating bar and arms constituting a toggle anchored at the floating bars, whereby movement of the operating bar varies the position of the toggle and exerts a force on the floating bars, the operating bar being comprised of two separate rod members separable to ex p-and the operating bar in a transverse direction, and wedge means for separating the rod members, whereby to expand the operating bar to adjust for wear of associated. parts.

4. In a track brake, a brake shoe adjacent each rail of a stretch of single track, a floating bar for each shoe movable transversely of the rails and operatively connected to its shoe, an operating bar between the floating bars, rods connecting the bar to the two floating bars and constituting a toggle adjustable by movement of the bar, with the toggle anchored at the floating bars, whereby movement of the operating bar varies the closure of the toggle to move the floating bars and adjust the shoes for varying degrees of retardation, and means for expanding the operating bar for taking up lost motion due to wear of the associated parts.

5. Ina track brake, a brake shoe adjacent each rail of a stretch of single track, a floating bar for each shoe, restrained to be movable only transversely of the rails by means of end roller thrust bearings, and operatively connected to its shoe, an operating bar between the floating bars, rods connecting the bar to the two floating bars, and constituting a toggle adjustable by movement of the bar, with the toggle anchored at the floating bars, whereby movement of the operating bar varies the closure of the toggle to move the floating bars and adjust the shoes for varying degrees of retardation, and means in each rod for adjusting the length of the rod to care for wear of each individual rod.

6. In a track brake, a brake shoe adjacent each rail of a stretch of single track, a floating bar for each shoe, movable transversely of the rails, and operatively connected to its shoe, an operating bar between the floating bars, rods connecting the bar to the two floating bars, and constituting a toggle adjustable by movement of the bar, with the toggle anchored at the floating bars, whereby movement of the operating bar varies the closure of' the toggle to move the floating bars and adjust the shoes for varying degrees of retardation, means for expanding the operating bar for taking up lost motion due to wear of the associated parts, and means in each rod for adjusting the length of the rod to care for wear of each individual rod.

7. In a car retarder of the track brake type, in combination, a brake shoe positioned at each side of a track rail, a brake beam for each shoe, a rocker arm for each beam having one end pivoted to its beam, a tie rod interconnecting the outer ends of the rocker arms, a bearing for each arm at a point intermediate its ends, and a leaf spring for each brake beam, each anchored to a fixed member, and bearing against its brake beam to bias the beam against its rocker arm.

8. In a car retarder of the track brake type, in combination, a brake shoe positioned at'each side of a track rail, a brake beam for each shoe, a rocker arm for each beam having one end pivoted to its beam, a tie rod interconnecting the outer ends of the rocker arms, a bearing for each arm at a point intermediate its ends, and a leaf spring for each brake beam, each anchored to a fixed member, and bearing against its brake beam to bias the beam against its rocker arm, a fixed abutment adjacent one of the arms, one of the springs being weaker than the other, whereby to normally bias said one arm against the abutment and take up all play between the beams, arms, and tie rod.

9. In a car retarder of the track brake type, in combination, a brake shoe adjacent each rail of two rails constituting a stretch of single track, and. means for adjusting the position of the shoes relative to their rails, and including; an operating bar positioned between the rails, and movable parallel to the rails, a floating bar for each rail, movable at right angles to the rail, and operatively connected to a respective brake shoe by a rocker bearing, and operating arms connecting the floating bars and the operating bar by means of rocker bearings.

NED C. L. BROWN. 

